Dioner Navarro, words about him in 2005

On Dioner Navarro news today, I recall him as controversial when a Yankee minor leaguer. Heard how great he was, then you never saw him.

• From a minor league website, 8/15/05, at which point he'd been shipped to the Dodgers as part of the Randy Johnson deal:

"Inside the Yankees organization, Navarro was tagged as damaged goods in 2004: Too cocky, too overweight, too slow. The Dodgers' scouts obviously took different notes. Ours are a mixed bag:

Cocky: He sure has the huevos to be a major leaguer. When asked when he first played baseball this Spring, he said: “When I was four.” When asked when he first knew he was going to be a major leaguer, he smiled. “When I was four.”

Weight/Speed: His weight was down by the time he showed up for camp with the Dodgers this Spring, although we can see that it might be an issue if he doesn't watch it.

The fact that seems to have missed most scouts and touts clip sheets was that the guy's wife was quite ill, had brain surgery, and nearly died. A strong family man with a small son, it may have been angst, not cockiness, that dinged his performance in 2004.

• MLN was told that the issues that the Dodgers had concerns about had more to do with managing a big league pitching staff, and developing some consistency in his approach to hitting day-to-day."

(I don't know who was at fault if anyone. Just remember hearing about the guy a lot). sm

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